His Apprentice
by Clandestine Writer
Summary: SesshomaruKagome. She only wanted to become a little less dependent on others...she didn't know that such a desire would lead her down a path that would irrevocably change her future. Of course, Fate always did love Kagome.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, just the plot and whatever random characters that appear and are not from the canon! **

**AN: For the purposes of my story, I will follow the manga on Sesshoumaru's Mother (who is still alive in the manga) and uhm…yeah!**

**This story is going to be a mix of the manga and the anime, as they both seem to have things the other doesn't…so I'll try and make it as smooth as possible!**

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**Chapter One**

**.:Lost:.**

A small whimper escaped her tightly clenched lips as she stared at the ground before her. There, lying innocuous in the faint moonlight, was the purple butterfly hairclip Yuka had given her for her fifteenth birthday; the same one she'd dropped when she'd suspected she'd already been through this part of the forest twice before. And, as she suspected, the evidence of her apparent misdirection lay before in the form of a hair accessory.

Staring above her, she glared at the twinkling stars, which seemed to be mocking her with their brightness. Not for the first time, she wished she had paid more attention in Astronomy, maybe then she would not be so lost.

A tear leaked out, closely followed by another. Before she knew it, Kagome Higurashi lay in a pitiful heap in the middle of a dark forest, in a foreign land, tears streaming down her face in a fabulous show of self-pity. Above her, gnarled branches of ancient trees twisted and rose to the sky in a show of primeval power, defying the winds of time and nature. Kagome wished she had that kind of…determination and will power. _Instead I…I-_ She stopped, and resolved to not think for the rest of the night, or at least until Inuyasha found her…if he could.

Sinking further into her self-induced despair, the young miko curled her body into a small ball, tucking her head to her knees and slowly sung a lullaby.

_Twinkle, twinkle, little star_

_How I wonder what you are_

_Up above the world so high_

_Like a diamond in the sky…_

Her voice cracked slightly, and she stopped. _Stupid Kagome…any passing youkai could hear you…and then what would you do_? She asked herself.

Slowly stretching out her body, she rose. _I can't just lay here, waiting to be attacked._ Adjusting the large yellow backpack so that it fit more comfortably, she slowly walked towards her butterfly clip and, picking it up, stared at it.

"How do I get out of this one?" She said despairingly, sapphire eyes staring morosely at the small clip. Normally, she was a very optimistic girl. She held to the belief that, as bad as things seemed to be, they could and would get better; however, as she looked around her she lowered her head, and slump her shoulders in defeat.

This was the third night she had spent lost in the forest. Her ramen supply was low, which did not really matter considering she had no more water to boil it in, and the only uniform left to her, barely covered her, what with all the rips and tears. For the past two days, it had rained heavy and hard washing out any lingering traces of her scent, which would make it almost impossible for Inuyasha to find her.

It seemed almost impractical for her to be optimistic, considering the circumstances.

She sighed heavily, closing her eyes while pressing her hand to her forehead in frustration. Truly, this was all Inuyasha's fault. Of course, she wanted to blame the irrational, hotheaded, hanyou, but she could not, because deep down she knew that the fault lie with no one but herself.

The day had started out like any other: Miroku heard news of a nearby Shikon Jewel, and, with Inuyasha leading the way, they headed towards the jewel.

Things took a turn for the worst when Naraku showed up, all cackles and "kukukus".

The fight, Kagome would have to say, was doomed from the beginning. Nobody sensed his presence, and so, having the element of surprise on his side, Naraku was able to gain the upper hand right from the beginning. Although the group knew this, minus one Inuyasha, they gave it all they had until, in a final show of cunning, Naraku threw each of the members of the shard hunting band into different directions.

If only Inuyasha had listened to her when she told him to retreat, maybe… Kagome sighed _again_, before picking a random direction and walking. _It does me no good wasting my time on "what ifs" and "if only", somehow, I've got to get out of this one by myself._

Not for the first time, Kagome wished she had been a little less dependent on the rest of the group.

**XXX**

Moonlight reflected from the surface of the stream guided Miroku as he dipped a worn clothe into the cool water once more before wringing it out and quickly walking over to Sango's unconscious body. Lying the clothe on her brow, he stared pensively at her naked body with what light the moon gave off, eyes memorizing each cut and laceration with a tender sorrow. _So many_, he thought while slowly changing her bandages, _and more still to come, I should think_. This thought, or fact rather, that more harm would come Sango's way, left him with a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach, one to rival the eternal void that was his curse.

Softly, he brushed aside her bangs and with infinite care, covered her with his outer robe. With a weary sigh he picked up his staff and leaned against a nearby tree, eyes lifted towards the stars. He hoped she would wake up by tomorrow, if she did not…

He sighed once more before closing his eyes and slipping into an alert trance; it would not provide much rest, but he could not afford a deeper state of sleep, not with Sango's life balanced as precariously as it did now. _Tomorrow, maybe…tomorrow_…

And Miroku dozed, Kirara keeping watch beside him.

**XXX**

Inuyasha hacked angrily at the dense foliage that hindered his passing. He was a red blur as he sped through the forest, eagerly searching for his lost comrades. His grip on Tetsusaiga tightened, his knuckles whitening under the pressure, as he angrily cut down hanging branches that found themselves in his path. A low growl, deep and frustrated, spilled from his lips as he stopped.

His breathing was labored and his muscles ached with the strain of running for two days and three nights with no break. He was hungry and tired, and yet he would not stop. Not until he was reunited with the members of his pack. He was, after all, responsible for their well-being as the leader, and while he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was worried. Sango was not in good shape when Naraku had thrown her, and neither was the monk. Shippo, well, he was a youkai, and a kitsune at that, he could probably hold up for a good week but Kagome…

Inuyasha growled again, muscles bunching as he prepared himself for another run. _I've got to find Kagome_, he thought desperately, golden eyes darting back and forth in a state of helpless frustration. Clenching his fist, he felt the skin of his palm break as his claws dug into the flesh. After the fourth time, he'd learned to ignore the slight pain, even welcoming it at times. It helped to clear his mind while he ran, something he desperately needed.

Lately, the dark blood within his body had been a lot harder to control, even with Tetsusaiga's binding abilities, and in those moments in which he felt hopeless, he'd almost given in. If it were not for Tetsusaiga, pulling him out of the dark haze of his inner beast…Inuyasha shuddered, eyes closing as he let the wind caress his body.

As he ran, the hopelessness he had kept at bay slowly started to devour his mind.

**XXX**

Shippo popped another berry into his mouth, hands and mouth sticky with the residue of previous such berries, and with a sigh, lay back on the soft pallet given to him. Next to him lay large basin in which he was to bathe, and besides that, on a small table, lay a fresh set of clothes.

He heard footsteps and waited until a small head appeared in the doorway.

"Master Shippo? May I come in?" Shippo nodded, crossing his arms and puffing out his small chest as a small girl, no older than eight years old walked timidly into the room. She had large brown eyes and a wide smile with two large dimples, her hair, kept in two pigtails, bounced as she walked into the room.

"Uhm…well…my father says that they'll begin the search tomorrow…if it pleases you."

Shippo jumped up, eyes wide.

"Finally," he almost screamed, "Kagome could be DEAD by now!" Tears appeared on at the edge of his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away, he refused to cry in front of her, or any of them for that matter.

It was by accident that, when Naraku threw him away from the battle, Shippo found himself flying, uncontrollably, through the forest. As luck would have it, he landed in this village, on the head of a wayward low-level boar youkai, with enough force to knock it out. The village men who were fighting the beast, hailed Shippo as their savior, and after Shippo explained that all he wanted in return was their help in finding his friends, found himself in a nice room, with three meals everyday and the pleasure of being called "Master Shippo". If only Inuyasha could see him now! The fact that his "killing" of the youkai was purely accidental was irrelevant in Shippo's mind, he had defeated it and that was what mattered.

The small girl, who had jumped in fright at his sudden outburst, looked down at the floor and slowly began making circles with one silk-enclosed foot.

"Is…is Kagome your…girlfriend?" She asked softly. Shippo, who was earnestly trying to keep his tears at bay, froze and looked at the girl with wide eyes.

"Of course not! Kagome's my…well…she's…" He fidgeted with his hakamas, eyes downcast, "well, she's kinda like my mom…" He murmured finally.

The little girl looked up then, eyes wide with a large smile, "Well, that's okay then!" She exclaimed before running out of the room, face red.

Shippo stood staring after her, eyes narrowed in confusion before finally giving up. "Girls are weird!" He said, throwing up his arms.

And so, with that universally accepted explanation for all female behavior, Shippo began to bathe, hoping against all hope that it was not too late to find Kagome.

**XXX**

Kikyo lowered her bow, watching dispassionately as the youkais flesh faded into ash. It was the fourth attack this night and Kikyo felt a slight sense of unease as she finger her two remaining arrows. The frequency of the attacks disturbed her. Several times this night, she had over a dozed youkai clawing at her barrier as she rested, forcing her to move locations lest the barrier break and she be overwhelmed. Kikyo was no fool, and even she knew, in the state she was in now, she could not handle so many youkai at once.

Stepping over the last youkai foolish enough to challenge her, the young priestess came to a realization: something called the youkai to her this night, and as she called upon her Shinidamachu, she resolved to figure out why.

**XXX**

Kohaku stared at his hands with something akin to morbid fascination. As the blood slid across the surface of his skin, a chill ran down his spine. _What…what?_ His mind blanked, before a barrage of memories hit: everywhere blood, bodies covered with it, the ground soaked with it. _Their _blood, his _family's_ blood. He pushed, futilely, at the memories…and yet they would not go away.

"Kohaku."

His head snapped up as Kagura's voice filtered through the red haze. His mind had become a dangerous place ever since his memories returned to him; it was like waking up in a river of blood each time they surged, and he had begun sinking further and further within its murky depths.

"Lets go."

Nodding curtly, not quite trusting his voice to speak, Kohaku hopped onto the enlarged feather floating before him and did not look back as they left the bloody scene of his mindless carnage.

"What did Naraku want from this village?" He heard Kagura whisper to herself, and Kohaku silently agreed with the wind witch's questioning. Especially since Naraku had demanded that none in the village be left alive, he had even gone so far as to threaten both their lives should he learn of the survival of even one infant.

"Maybe…maybe there was something…or someone there that he feared…" Kohaku voiced quietly.

Kagura looked at him pensively, ruby red eyes staring intently into his own brown orbs.

"Maybe…maybe."

If that was the case…had they just destroyed the only thing they could use as leverage against Naraku? As the thought left him, Kohaku felt a growing sense of despair.

**XXX**

Kagome blinked languidly as her eyes adjusted to the morning sun. She rose stiffly, back popping as she stretched with a mighty yawn. Nestled as she was within the roots of a large tree, her sleep had not been very comfortable, and yet she was grateful for the semi-protected rest she had gotten.

"Ah…maybe today will be the day I'm rescued…or maybe I'll find my way out of this on my own." Kagome muttered softly as she surveyed her surroundings.

The scene was the same, thick trees surrounded her on all sides, with no discernable trail and patches where the canopy above completely blocked out the light from the now arisen sun. She sighed, disheartened at the unchanged landscape before picking her way delicately out of the tangle of roots she'd slept in, and making her way through the forest.

Luckily, and surprisingly, she hadn't run into any stray youkai since the first day she became lost. _I guess my luck really has been holding…considering the situation_. She thought, a bit cynically.

Just as she was about to turn, thinking that perhaps she'd run across this particular clump of bushes before, she heard the distant melody of a flute. "W-what?" Her eyes lit up, the prospect of civilization and quite possibly a bath, causing her gloomy countenance to once again sparkle with an optimistic hope.

With renewed vigor, Kagome rushed towards the scintillating melody.

**XXX**

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**CW: Eh, really not happy with the length, but this chapter wasn't meant to be long. It's just a semi-introduction and a bit of a prologue really, just to set up what has happened to our favorite characters. Sesshomaru will appear and I really wanted to put him in this chapter but… you can't just _throw_ Sesshomaru into anything, you have to add a lot of finesse when dealing with him! He's such a great character! Sigh, anyway, **

**REVIEW, REVIEW! Please, and thank you! Oh uhm, sorry if there are a lot of mistakes…I didn't really proof it…I was really too excited to get it posted to do anything other than well…post it! So once again, sorry if it is horrendously, and irrevocably grammatically incorrect, I'm actually pretty bad at this whole writing thing! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, just the plot and whatever random characters that appear and are not from the canon! **

**AN: Wow! Thanks for all the great reviews guys! I was really anxious to see how this story was going to be received, and I'm really excited that you guys are excited!!! So THANK YOU!**

**SPECIAL THANKS TO **_**EZARINE BLOOM**_** FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT ANONYMOUS REVIEWS WERE BEING BLOCKED! I was not aware of that, so THANKS AGAIN! **

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**Chapter Two**

As he watched Inuyasha's left eye begin to twitch, he knew he was in big trouble.

"You're tellin' me that you've been holed up in this village, while Kagome's out there BY HERSELF!"

Shippo jumped, pawing at the ground sheepishly before getting angry.

"HEY! I TRIED TO HELP!" He yelled back, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay. "I-I GOT A SEARCH PARTY GOING!"

"THREE DAYS LATER!" Inuyasha yelled back.

Behind them, the alleged "Search Party" looked nervously between one another,

"Think we should break them up?" One villager asked,

"Eh…nah, we'll let them handle it." Another replied.

"So…we still gonna do the search?"

"Nah, I think they've got it covered."

And so, coming to their conclusion, Shippo's search party snuck away, unbeknownst the two arguing youkai.

"WELL AT LEAST I WAS TRYING!" Shippo yelled back, who by now had found himself on top of Inuyasha's head, yelling into the frustrated hanyou's delicate ears.

"GET OFFA THERE YOU RUNT!" Inuyasha screamed, pulling at the small kitsune. "AND STOP YELLING IN MY EAR!"

After picking himself up off the ground, Shippo turned around to find his hard-earned search party missing. Turning, with a rapidly reddening face, Shippo began a lengthy admonishment to an increasingly irate hanyou, who, after a particularly nasty comment from Shippo, (something along the lines of "well at least she'll be happy to see me! I don't compare her to a clay pot") proceeded to beat the young kitsune cub with his fist.

"OW! OW! OW! WHEN WE FIND KAGOME, I'M GONNA TELL ON YOU!"

Inuyasha paused shortly, an image of a red faced, fire-eyed Kagome standing before him with her finger pointed threateningly and her mouth in a tight line appeared; it was enough to cause the normally brave-to-the-point-of-stupidity hanyou to take a small step back.

"Feh. Do what you want!" He replied callously. He began walking away, knowing that Shippo would follow, and although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, _ever_, he was slightly relived to have found a member of his pack. The fight with Shippo brought back a bit of his sanity, and a bit of normalcy, which he had missed these past three days. _Now all we need to do is find Miroku, Sango…and Kagome. _

With that thought, he picked up an unsuspecting Shippo, and launched off into the forest once more.

**XXX**

_This melody is familiar_, Kagome thought while pushing through a thick clump of bushes. Her knees ached and her arms and legs were covered with cuts and bruises, and yet, the melody called out to her in such a way that she could ignore her pain; it was, after all, nothing compared to the pain she felt pouring out of the flute.

She was closer now, and as she pushed through a particularly broad line of trees, she found herself in a small clearing from which the melody was coming.

"_Sara_?" Kagome exclaimed incredulously.

The soft, melancholy melody stopped, and the woman who loved Sesshomaru stared at Kagome in something akin to shock.

"Y-you…can see me?"

Kagome nodded, still surprised and a little uneasy. _I thought she died. This could be a trap…but why would Sara be involved?_

Taking a chance, the young miko venture further into the clearing looking around suspiciously, it was truly a beautiful area, full with flowers of a soft blue and purple hue. A small pond lay on the far right, and Kagome's eyes lit up at the sight. She turned towards the young woman, confusion etched in her features.

"What…how…?" She was not quite sure how to articulate the question, and yet it seemed Sara understood because she smiled softly and set aside her flute.

"Please, sit."

Kagome sat, eying the noble woman with a small bit of envy. She was beautiful, with a grace Kagome could ever only dream of possessing.

"You're wondering how it is that I sit here before you, hm?" She raised a slim hand to wipe aside a stray lock of hair, and even this common movement held a unique charm.

"Uh, yeah," Kagome said, feeling like a second-hand doll next to the beautiful, _clean_, older woman.

"My soul…could not, _would not_, move on because it meant leaving behind my Sesshomaru." A wistful smile crossed her face, making her a tragic beauty. "His last words to me, are my anchor to this place, to this land which is not my own."

Kagome blinked, as she remembered the whispered words of the great Lord Sesshoumaru to the fading Sara, "_Please, feel free to continuing playing your flute for me in heaven_".

"But…I did not want to leave him; he would not hear me in heaven." She continued, Kagome's mouth hung open slightly. _Talk about unrequited love, _she thought, _how could she love…Sesshomaru!?_

"I know what you are thinking…how could I love a man like that?" Kagome blushed, was she _that_ transparent? "And yet…I have never seen anyone as beautiful as he when he is in his element. The Killing Perfection," Sara sighed again, eyes staring into the distance.

"I…" Kagome started, not sure what she wanted to say, or what she _could_ say. _She fell in love with him while he was _killing_ people?! _It was an idea foreign to Kagome, and she could not relate to, nor understand her reasoning.

"He killed your entire family…didn't he?" Kagome asked tentatively, she could not grasp the concept of loving a man who had killed her entire family. _Of course, Inuyasha tried to kill _me_ the first time we met._

"He did…and yet, they attacked him first. I'm sure Sesshomaru would have passed us by, after all we were of no consequence to the Great Lord, and my father killed himself out of terror besides." Sara shrugged before picking up her flute and staring at it. "All I want to do is play my flute for Lord Sesshomaru, forever."

Kagome blinked, the phrase striking up a bit of nostalgia. She had heard similar words before:

_"Would you like to come with me Rin?" Kagome asked the small girl, worried for her safety. _

_Rin stared up at her with a beaming smile, shaking her head._

_"All I want to do is stay with Lord Sesshomaru, forever." She replied with heartfelt conviction before skipping off, calling for Lord Jaken._

Kagome blinked again, the memory fading. "I guess…I kind of understand." Kagome said, trying futilely to fully grasp the depth of Sara's, and for that matter Rin's, love for the cold-hearted demon lord. _Of course, I suppose my view of him is a little biased, _she conceded.

"He is fit for this world," Sara continued, "we live in a time that is not kind to the weak. Those who cannot stand on their own…will ultimately fail…Sesshomaru is the epitome of strength…and I believe his empire will be great."

She smiled before raising her flute to her lips once more, "I believe there is a village to the east of here, and not too far…you look like you could really use a bath and a warm meal…"

Kagome blushed as Sara's image faded, her melody echoing in the small forest. Sighing, Kagome walked to the small pond and began filling up several water bottles, all the while, her thoughts revolving around Sara's last statement. _"Those who cannot stand on their own…will ultimately fail…_"

She could not help but think that, once again, someone else had saved her.

**XXX**

Sango opened her eyes slowly, head throbbing with every beat of her heart. Groaning, she slowly, and painfully, lifted a head to her forehead, noting the cool clothe that lay there. She squinted against the bright sunlight, eyes adjusting to the noon brightness as she looked around her.

"Ki-Kir-Kirara." Her voice, made hoarse from disuse, sounded weak and scratchy to her ears and Sango hated it.

"Meow…" Kirara's head popped into her direct line of vision as the small neko-youkai placed herself upon Sango's chest.

"Kirara…where am I?"

Kirara's head tilted to the right before lifting a paw and pointing to her right. Sango followed the outstretched appendage, and saw Miroku's limp form leaning against a tree, eyes closed with a small amount of drool trickling down his chin. Sango rolled her eyes in disgust, _he's probably dreaming about women_, she thought, while slowly trying to rise. Kirara began meowing loudly, pushing down on her with small paws.

"I must get up Kirara." Sango stubbornly murmured, ignoring the building pain in her forearms and lower back. Looking down, she found herself naked, covered only by what appeared to be Miroku's outer robes. She grimaced, wondering how long she had been out and what had happened. There were makeshift bandages covering her lower torso, arms and thighs, crude yet satisfactory.

"Ah, Lady Sango! You have arisen!" The unmistakably cheerful voice of the monk reached Sango's ears, just as she'd gotten herself into a sitting position. "You really shouldn't move around yet Sango, you're wounds are not yet healed."

Sango scoffed, holding his robes firmly around her chest.

"Where are my clothes monk."

"My dear Sango, in order to dress your wounds, the removal of your clothing was necessary, I on-"

"My clothes, monk, or else."

Miroku sighed, walked over to a low hanging branch and removed said articles of clothing with care.

"You really shouldn't be moving about so soon after waking…" Miroku mumbled, watching carefully as Sango tried to stand.

She was slowly rising to stand on both feet when she lost her balance and fell back into a waiting Miroku's hands, a blush suffused her cheeks as he held her closely, muttering in her ear: "You really should listen to me every once in a while…I only have your best interests in mind…"

Feeling decidedly uncomfortable with the way he was holding her, Sango yanked out of his embrace, falling forward and landing roughly on her hands and knees. Behind her, Miroku 'tsk'd' before reaching down and helping her stand,

"I'm fine Miroku, let me go."

She refused to meet his eyes, staring instead at his chin. His hand softly grasped her chin forcing her eyes to meet his,

"Why do you fight so hard Sango?" Double innuendos always made Sango uneasy, especially when they came from Miroku. She never could be sure if he was serious or not.

"Please, just…let me go." Her voice broke with an emotion even she couldn't recognize, and as he let her go, handing her clothing to her without a word or a glance, Sango slowly walked off.

"MONK!"

Sango turned, as did Miroku as Inuyasha burst through the foliage, landing in a swirl of dust.

"Inuyasha!" Sango squinted away dust and dirt, and gripped Miroku's outer robe closer to her chest.

"Sango!"

Sango smiled softly as Shippo struggled out of Inuyasha's grip and scampered to her side, he stood watching her quizzically, tilting his small head to the left, as he looked her over.

"You okay Sango?"

She nodded, "I'm fine Shippo, a few bruises and cuts. Nothing I can't handle."

"We need to find Kagome." Inuyasha cut in, he looked her over, nodded once in approval and then turned away.

"You get dressed and then we'll head out. I'll be back."

Sango nodded, before heading behind a line of trees to change.

"Do you think we should leave so soon? Sango only just regain consciousness…"

Sango rolled her eyes, _my hearing is still intact monk._ She thought angrily.

"Feh. Sango's tough. She looked fine to me." Inuyasha replied.

"I'm not sure…" Miroku said quietly. Sango could just imagine the worry etched onto his face, and could almost feel his stare. _I can take care of myself just fine, thank you. _

Finished dressing, the taijiya stepped into the clearing with a determined frown.

"How long have I been down?"

Miroku stared at her, face unreadable, before answering. "About three days…a little more."

Nodding, Sango gathered her sword about her waist before turning to Inuyasha.

"Did you by any chance see the direction in which Hiraikotsu flew?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "couldn't tell you."

"Damn…"

"We can look for it later…after we find Kagome."

"I agree," Sango muttered ignoring Miroku's disapproving stare. "There's no telling what's happening with her."

Shippo shook his head in agreement, orange ponytail flapping crazily with the jerky movements. "And it rained!" He exclaimed, "we won't be able to track her by scent so easily…."

Inuyasha grimaced, crossing his arms across his chest and hiding his hands within the large, red sleeves of his fire-rat haori.

"Well, we can't do anything standing around here! Let's go!"

With Miroku, Sango and Shippo settled on Kirara, Inuyasha and co. took off.

**XXX**

Kagome eyed the smoking village below her with dismay. Bodies covered the ground, fallen in pools of their own blood. Fire leapt from thatched roof to thatched roof in a hauntingly familiar dance, common to this era. Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden, and Kagome made no move to remove them. _Who…or what could have done this?_ The first name that sprang to her tired, despairing mind, was Naraku, and as she stumbled down the small sloping hill towards the macabre scene, dull certainty spread through her being. This was definitely the work of Naraku.

_But…why?_

She stood at the outskirts of the city now, her eyes glassy with unshed tears as she took in the scene. It had probably once been a fairly prosperous village, and…as she viewed the bodies, an odd mixture of humans and demons had once presided within. Kagome very nearly gagged as the coppery, unmistakable scent of blood assaulted her senses.

"Hello?" She whispered. It was futile, really. Nobody could have survived such carnage; yet the optimism she was so known for, refused to be smothered this time. The village was not very big, and from the fresh blood and still thriving fire, Kagome could only come to the conclusion that this had happened recently.

She stumbled over a body, and nearly fell into a small pool of blood. _Don't look down Kagome. Don't look down Kagome! _Determined, she continued through the small village, eyes and throat burning with combined effects of smoke and blood clotting her senses.

"Hello?" She whispered again. Despair hung heavy in the air, a mixture of her own and the last remnants of those who once lived here. Kagome stumbled again, but refused to glance at her feet, afraid of what she might see.

"This is…" She couldn't finish her sentence…her thoughts. It was heartbreaking, seeing a family lying together slaughtered, and it caused Kagome's too soft heart to break.

"Oh gods…" She muttered.

She was at the edge of the village when she heard it. A soft mewling, crying sound that caused her to freeze.

"W-what?"

Turning quickly, Kagome ran back to the heart of the village and paused.

"Hello?"

The crackling sound of the slowly dying fire answered her. "Hello?" Her voice was barely above a whisper now, and as she started to give up hope, she heard it again. A soft cry.

There! To her right. The hut barely stood but it was in better repair than the rest. Rushing into it, without a thought to her own safety, Kagome quickly searched for a possible survivor.

Sat in the middle of the hut, under a large swath of blanket, was a slightly moving figure. It's head was only partially covered and as Kagome came upon it she gasped.

Lying half hidden under the dark brown clothed was a small white-haired baby. It's eyes were a furious dark blue, and it's hair a shocking white. Kagome swiftly knelt beside and quickly picked it up. The cloth feel away revealing a torn pair of hakamas, revealing the small baby to be a boy. He immediately quieted when Kagome picked him up, and stared up at her with solemn blue eyes. Yawning, he revealed a pair of sharp canines and upon checking, Kagome found sharply pointed, Elvin like ears.

"Full youkai then, are you?" She whispered the small child.

_CRACK!_

Kagome jumped, startled, as a large section of the roof caved in beside her.

"Let's get you out of here, hmm?"

Standing shakily, Kagome left without another word, grabbing the dark brown cloth on her way.

**oOo**

Fifteen minutes later found Kagome standing beside the stream in what she had mentally dubbed, 'Sara's Clearing'. Having cleaned both herself, and the small babe, Kagome reluctantly pulled out the only clothing left to her. White haori, red hakamas, cut in the style of a priestess. Sighing, she pulled the ancient styled clothing over a freshly clean body. Although she relished in the feeling of the clean clothes, the memories associated within were more than she could handle.

"Gods I'm pathetic…" She murmured, staring down on her image. Reflected off the pure water of the stream, Kagome couldn't help but grimace as she saw Kikyo's face looking back at her. Backing away, Kagome eyed the little boy lying beside her, wrapped in the stolen blanket.

"What am I going to do with you?" She whispered, picking the little one up. He gurgled happily at her, smiling. "You can't be no older than…two? But I can never tell with youkai." She murmured, stroking the silky white hair.

"I'm just happy you survived."

She giggled as he grabbed a handful of her inky black hair, tugging on it hard with all the strength of a babe, which considering his heritage was quite a bit.

"Okay little one, you've got to let go."

He giggled again, and let go, reaching for her throat this time. Kagome pulled him into a hug and sighed as he rested a head on her shoulder.

"We'll…I guess we're on our own but…I'm not gonna let anybody hurt you, okay? I'll do whatever I can - although it won't be much - to protect you. You understand?"

He gurgled again, and gripped her hair.

"Just me and you Little One," with a sigh Kagome rose and shouldered her yellow backpack, careful of the babe in her arms. With a determined set to her shoulders, Kagome once more headed off, only this time, her optimism was back.

**-e-**

**AN: Well, this was a long time coming, and it's SHORT. The next chapter will be out soon however, so never fear, I won't be gone for MONTHS on end again! Please review and tell me how you like it!?**

**Please?**


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